1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an automatic call distribution (ACD) service in a call center system which is constructed by distributing switching devices, computers, etc. in a public or private network.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently a call center system which is constructed by distributing switching devices, computers, etc. in a public or private network has been installed by an increasing number of corporations.
In such a system there is the problem of inefficiency that since call distribution is controlled taking into consideration the reduction of a customer""s waiting time, optimum call distribution including communication cost, etc. cannot be implemented. Accordingly, the provision of the system by which an optimum automatic call distribution (ACD) service can be individually controlled, is required.
A conventional call center system which is constructed by distributing switching devices, computers, etc. in a public or private network, has the problem that call distribution can be so controlled as to minimize a customer""s waiting time only by specific conditions based on the waiting time information of other stations obtained from the station call by call.
For this reason, in such a call center system, optimum call distribution control not only limited to the control of the waiting time but also including the control of communication cost, etc. cannot be implemented, and thereby the efficient telephone operation of corporations is impeded.
The present invention has been made in the above-mentioned background, and it is an object of the present invention to improve the efficiency of telephone operation in corporations by implementing optimum incoming call waiting control and distribution control for each station composing a call center system.
The present invention presumes network automatic call distribution control apparatuses (switching device 101 and information processing device 102), distributed to each station composing a call center system by being connected with each other through a network (WAN 105), and having both the function of executing waiting control of incoming calls and the function of executing the distribution control to other stations of the incoming calls.
The first embodiment of the present invention comprises the following.
First, a call history information transmission control apparatus (call history information transmitting and receiving control unit 114) attaches call history information for indicating the respective states of waiting control and transfer, to an incoming call to be transferred to another station.
A call history information reception control apparatus (call history information transmitting and receiving control unit 114) receives the call history information attached to an incoming call transferred from another station.
A waiting control apparatus (waiting control unit 112) executes both waiting control and distribution control of an incoming call corresponding to the call history information based on the call history information received by the call history information reception control apparatus.
The above-mentioned first embodiment of the present invention can be so configured as to further comprise a terminating control condition storing apparatus (terminating control table 118) for storing terminating control conditions for indicating a terminating control procedure for each business class, and the waiting control apparatus may execute both waiting control and distribution control of an incoming call based on both call history information received by the call history information reception control apparatus and terminating control conditions stored in the terminating control condition storing apparatus corresponding to the business class based on the call history information.
By adopting the configuration of the above-mentioned first embodiment of the present invention, at each station composing a call center system through a network, optimum call waiting control and distribution control can be executed based on both call history information and the above-mentioned terminating control condition for each business class.
The second embodiment of the present invention comprises the following.
A waiting control determining condition storing apparatus (terminating control table 118 and waiting control determining condition table 122) stores waiting control determining conditions being conditions for determining waiting control including at least a priority condition for a waiting time, a priority condition for communication cost and a priority condition for respondents, for each business class.
A waiting control apparatus (waiting control unit 112) executes both waiting control and distribution control of an incoming call based on the waiting control determining conditions stored in the waiting control determining condition storing apparatus corresponding to the business class of the incoming call received by the relevant station.
The second embodiment of the present invention can be so configured as to further comprise a waiting control determining condition reporting apparatus (waiting control determining information transmission and reception control unit 115) for periodically reporting the waiting control conditions of one station to another station.
The second embodiment of the present invention can also be so configured as to further comprise a waiting control determining condition collecting apparatus (waiting control determining information transmission and reception control unit 115) for periodically collecting waiting control determining conditions from another station.
By adopting the configuration of the above-mentioned second embodiment of the present invention, at each station composing a call center system through a network, very precise waiting control and distribution control of an incoming call can be executed based on the waiting control determining conditions.
At all the stations composing a call center system through a network, waiting control determining conditions can also be optimized, and thereby optimum waiting control and distribution control can be implemented.
The third embodiment of the present invention comprises the following.
A termination distributable information exchanging apparatus (termination distributable information transmitting and receiving control unit 116) exchanges termination distributable information being information for indicating the possibility of accepting termination distribution from one station at another station.
A termination distribution control apparatus (termination distribution control unit 113) executes both waiting control and distribution control of an incoming call received by a station based on the termination distributable information received by that station.
In the above-mentioned third embodiment of the present invention, if the relevant station cannot receive an incoming call, the incoming call can be transferred to other optimum termination distributable station.
The present invention can also be configured as a method category with the same functions as the functions implemented by the respective configurations of the above-mentioned embodiments.
Furthermore, when the present invention is used together with a computer, the invention can also be configured as a computer readable recording medium for making the computer perform the same functions as the functions implemented by the respective configurations of the above-mentioned embodiments.
As described above, the present invention greatly contributes to an improvement in the efficiency of telephone operation in a whole call center system through a network.